Nice to Meet You Episode 16 Recap
> Nice to Meet You Recap
Gao Hui vehemently opposed Gao Jie's hiring for the Hui Xin series, questioning how she could have been called in for an interview at Rui Hua. She described Gao Jie as a sore loser who had pushed a judge in a previous competition, fearing that her presence would tarnish her own reputation. Yu Zhi, however, hinted that Gao Hui's strong reaction suggested she cared about Gao Jie more than she admitted, a notion Gao Hui swiftly denied.
Yu Zhi also noted that their Grandmother rarely interfered with recruitment, yet she seemed quite impressed by Gao Jie. Soon after, Mu Ziyun confronted a fuming Gao Hui, who was rushing through the office. Mu Ziyun chastised her for her arrogance and lack of apology after an accidental collision, which scattered documents. She warned Gao Hui to temper her "princess attitude," asserting her experience in discerning sincerity.
Mu Ziyun cautioned that if Gao Hui failed to deliver a successful design for the Hui Xin series, her time at Rui Hua would end in regret, adding that she eagerly awaited to see what Gao Hui would create. Later, Gao Hui complained to her mother, Wu Xiaoci, about Gao Jie's hiring, expressing annoyance at having to see her daily at Rui Hua.
Wu Xiaoci, however, advised Gao Hui to use her position to "teach Gao Jie a lesson," a thought that immediately lifted Gao Hui's spirits and spurred her to go to work. Gao Hui was so angry she wanted to take leave from work, and Wu Xiaoci had to coax her.
Yu Yi attempted to sway Grandmother against Gao Jie, citing her tarnished reputation in the jewelry industry and the potential damage to their vital partnership with Wu Xiaoci and Gao Hui. Grandmother dismissed his concerns, advising him to adopt a broader perspective and clarifying that their collaboration with Cilian was strategic, not to be dictated by Gao Hui. She warned that without an appropriate rival, Gao Hui would become uncontrollable. Yu Yi conceded to Grandmother's wisdom.
He then sought approval for a significant investment to launch Gao Hui's "Heart of a King" series, but Grandmother insisted on seeing the prototypes first, which Yu Yi promised would be ready soon. At Rui Hua, Director Ye Qiangsheng reminded Gao Jie of the company's principle that designs must stem from genuine emotions, a philosophy Gao Jie affirmed.
Gao Jie was then introduced to the Inlay Group, where she met Gao Hui, who was angrily scolding workers for their perceived incompetence. Gao Hui, asserting her authority, declared that their relationship was strictly that of superior and subordinate, with no room for mutual learning. Gao Jie calmly responded that consumers valued good designs over hierarchy. Gao Hui then instructed Ye Qiangsheng to ensure Gao Jie received training to become "of some use."
Ye Qiangsheng subsequently assigned Gao Jie to a secluded workspace and tasked her with sorting years of company files, implicitly sidelining her. When a meeting was called for other designers, Gao Jie was excluded and told to continue with her archiving duties. Mu Ziyun advised Grandmother to visit the factory because the masters were on strike due to the overly complex designs by Gao Hui, which they couldn't produce. This also made Grandmother aware that Gao Jie was being sidelined.
Yu Yi urged Yu Zhi to address the mounting issues at the factory, where Gao Hui's designs were proving unworkable, threatening a strike. Yu Yi lamented their constant role in mitigating Gao Hui's temperamental outbursts. Gao Hui, Yu Zhi, and Yu Yi discussed changing factories. Yu Yi found it acceptable, but the budget was tight. Yu Zhi felt that suddenly changing factories would make Grandmother question their competence and hoped to communicate with the current factory.
Gao Hui was displeased and stubbornly insisted her designs were flawless. Yu Yi questioned Yu Zhi's decision to hire Gao Jie, knowing her contentious history with Gao Hui, but Yu Zhi defended Gao Jie's talent and Grandmother's approval, dismissing the idea of Gao Hui discovering his secret relationship with Gao Jie as they had agreed to keep it private. Yu Yi, suspecting Mu Ziyun's involvement in the factory matter, decided to investigate.
During a team meeting, Gao Hui severely critiqued the designers' work as uninspired and outdated, announcing a design selection with a tight three-day deadline for new drafts. Gao Jie then entered, having completed the extensive archiving task with surprising efficiency and even digitizing the files.
Allowed to join the meeting, Gao Jie was subsequently assigned by Ye Qiangsheng to supervise the crucial sample production for the Hui Xin King Series at the factory, a task other colleagues gossiped about as an "odd job." At the factory, Gao Jie was initially met with resistance from workers who only knew Gao Hui as the designer and viewed Gao Jie as merely an office staff member rushing them.
The factory manager explained the impossibility of producing Gao Hui's overly complex designs, a sentiment echoed by Master Wang, their most experienced craftsman, who also revealed that Gao Hui had angrily dismissed his concerns. Yu Zhi was already present, observing the problematic design. Gao Jie offered to collaborate on finding a solution. When Master Wang dismissed her as inexperienced, Yu Zhi intervened, identifying himself as Vice President Yu, and appealed to Master Wang's expertise.
Gao Jie then boldly offered to create a model herself, asserting that if she, a new designer, could succeed, the experienced masters could do even better. Challenged, Master Wang agreed to meet the deadline if she could produce a complete model. Grandmother then arrived at the factory with Master Wang and others. Master Wang told Gao Hui her designs were problematic and unproducible.
Gao Hui, displeased, claimed Rui Hua's workers were unskilled and insisted on finding external factories, leading to a heated argument with Master Wang. Grandmother intervened, asking why they weren't using an alternative solution, and called Gao Jie in. Yu Zhi was surprised. Gao Jie presented her revised design. Gao Hui angrily dismissed Gao Jie's design, an arrogant display that displeased Grandmother.
Yu Zhi and Yu Yi tried to mediate, but Grandmother disregarded them, ordering Gao Jie's plan to be implemented and even making Gao Jie fully responsible for the Hui Xin series. Gao Jie realized she had asked Master Wang to appeal to Grandmother but didn't expect it to escalate so severely, implicating Yu Zhi and causing him to be reprimanded by Grandmother.
Back at the office, Gao Jie's fickle colleagues began to flatter her again, while Director Ye Qiangsheng remained sarcastic, and Gao Hui was furious. Grandmother instructed Yu Yi to obtain Gao Hui's authorization for Gao Jie to revise her designs. Yu Yi was exasperated, explaining that the company could not possibly approve of Gao Jie because Gao Hui, as Wu Xiaoci's daughter, was a recognized rising star, and their hopes were pinned on Gao Hui.
Yu Yi warned Yu Zhi not to mix personal feelings with work. Yu Zhi, puzzled, questioned if Yu Yi was not doing the same by constantly helping Gao Hui, to which Yu Yi remained silent. Mu Ziyun, who had instigated Gao Jie to escalate the factory issue, putting Yu Zhi in a difficult spot, was now troubled by how to manage Gao Jie.
While she didn't want to sabotage Gao Jie, she believed that if the situation became unmanageable, Gao Jie leaving Rui Hua would ultimately be beneficial for both of them. Gao Jie successfully created a model where the intricate details were flawlessly executed, deeply impressing Master Wang, who praised her rare understanding of craftsmanship. Gao Jie explained her interest stemmed from her maternal grandfather, a gold and silver fretwork artisan.
Yu Zhi then formally instructed Gao Jie to remain at the factory and assist the masters until the sample's completion. Later, Master Wang called Mu Ziyun, reporting that the "young girl" from the Inlay Group was surprisingly capable, and that the matter would not be easy. Mu Ziyun, unaware that the girl was Gao Jie, instructed him to proceed as planned and ensure the girl remained unaware of their true intentions.
In a separate comedic turn, Yu Zhi arrived at a restaurant for a date with a famous web novelist he knew as "the Great Spinach." Unaware that Chen Pinzhen, already at the designated table, was his date, Yu Zhi rudely told her to leave, disparaging her appearance and praising his ideal "goddess." Only when he saw a text message from "My beloved Great Spinach" confirming her presence at his table did Yu Zhi realize his embarrassing blunder.
Yu Zhi and Yu Yi discovered Yu Guanghua causing a scene in a restaurant. Yu Zhi sent Yu Yi away, steadied a waitress Yu Guanghua had pushed, and paid the bill. After the woman with Yu Guanghua left, he warned Yu Zhi to be filial. Yu Zhi retorted that his mother committed suicide because of Yu Guanghua, questioning how he could expect filial piety. By the river, Gao Jie and Yu Zhi met.
Gao Jie quickly apologized and presented him with handmade cufflinks as a gift. Yu Zhi, who had been in a bad mood due to Yu Guanghua, was deeply moved and embraced her. Yu Zhi then carried Gao Jie to their parked car, only to find it had been towed. Undeterred, he carried her all the way to a climbing gym, the place of their first reunion after returning to China.
Yu Zhi asked Gao Jie to retrieve a bag from the climbing wall. After much effort, Gao Jie successfully got the bag, only to find Yu Zhi had disappeared from his spot. She frantically searched for him and then discovered him standing amidst roses and balloons, with another gift for her. Gao Jie opened the large gift; balloons spelled out Yu Zhi's confession. The true gift, however, was the bag she had just retrieved.
Gao Jie obediently closed her eyes, touched the object inside, and realized it was her competition piece, "Love in the Mortal World," which Yu Zhi had specially bought back for her. Gao Jie was deeply touched. Elsewhere, Gao Hai visited Pan Yue, bringing butterfly pastries and feeling deep self-reproach. He contacted the nursing home caregiver to pay for the next quarter's fees, instructing them to say there was a welfare policy if Gao Jie asked.
Later, Gao Hai learned that Pan Yue's illness might be curable, decided to try his best, and immediately contacted domestic experts. Yu Yi eagerly followed Gao Hui, attempting to reconcile, but Gao Hui was preoccupied with Yu Zhi. Nevertheless, she gave Yu Yi the tie they had previously seen, as it was his birthday in two days. Yu Yi was thrilled with the gift, only to feel a pang of disappointment when he realized it was intended for Yu Zhi.
